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Who is on the Harper Government Enemies List?

Canadian Labour Congress launches an online contest while it waits for the Harper Government to answer Access to Information Requests about "friend" and "enemy" stakeholder lists

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 19, 2013) - The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is quite sure its name is among the organizations and individuals on the Harper government's list of "enemies" provided to new Cabinet Ministers earlier this week. But to confirm it, the CLC has filed formal access to information requests to key government departments, asking them to produce the lists of stakeholders deemed friends and foes by ministerial staff at the request of the Prime Minister's Office.

Knowing that the government will try to avoid transparency and that it could take months and probably numerous appeals before the information is released, the CLC plans to bide the time with a Facebook contest in which Canadians can guess who's on the Harper Government Top 10 Enemies List.

"It comes as no surprise to us that this government builds files and keeps lists of people they regard as threats to their own agenda," said CLC President Ken Georgetti. "What is surprising is the PMO going so far as to refer to groups that have different opinions or have different ideas about how to make life better for Canadians as 'enemies' and instruct Ministers of the Crown to shut them out," he said. "It smacks of the darkest days of McCarthyism and is a un-Canadian view of the world."

Georgetti says there is no doubt in his mind the CLC is among the government's list of enemies: "Our efforts to expand the Canada Pension Plan and help people save more for retirement, to expose the reckless expansion of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the abuse of migrant workers, and to reverse radical cuts to Employment Insurance have us in the PMO's crosshairs."

The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour movement, represents 3.3 million Canadian workers. The CLC brings together Canada's national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 130 district labour councils. Web site: www.canadianlabour.ca Follow us on Twitter @CanadianLabour